Open call: Two dancers or dance acrobats for a new contemporary dance piece
31.7.2026
Choreographer Tuulia Soininen and Pirkanmaa Dance Centre are looking for two dancers or dance acrobats for a new full-length contemporary dance piece Body Symphony (working title). The piece addresses intimacy and the fleshiness of the body from a queer-feminist perspective, through which potential branches of research include nudity, sexuality and intense physicality.
The work aims to create as sensitive and ethical working environment as possible considering the special characteristic of the themes. An intimacy coordinator will also be involved in parts of the process.
The work is choreographed by Tuulia Soininen and produced by Pirkanmaan Tanssin Keskus (co-producer) and the working group.
Who are we looking for?
The choreographer and working methods come from the contemporary dance field, but the process is open to performers from different backgrounds in dance and physical performing arts. However, it is useful to have some previous contact with contemporary dance and improvisation-based work.
Requirements
- Professionality in the field
- Experience in working with contemporary dance and improvisation
- Good ability to articulate and communicate one’s own experiences and boundaries
Additional hopes for applicants
- Some work experience as a performer
- Interest in the artistic research process
- Interest in working with nudity (the performer holds the agency to choose how naked or in what way they want to work with it)
- Interest in working with intense physicality (this can mean different things to different people)
We warmly welcome applicants and dancers of all ages and genders, as well as people from different cultural, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. We especially encourage applicants from sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups to apply. Possible working languages are Finnish and English.
Working
The work will mainly take place in Tampere at Liikelaituri, where there is an accessible entrance and accessible toilet. We are also happy to accommodate other specific accessibility needs not listed in this job posting.
The project has already received a significant portion of the funding, but the exact workload and working hours will be agreed upon together with the working group and Pirkanmaan Tanssin Keskus once the entirety of the project is confirmed.
Initial schedule
| November-December 2026 | Grant-based work period | a Few residency days in Helsinki and Orivesi |
| March 2027 | 1 month of employment-based full-time work | Rehearsal period in Tampere |
| October-November 2027 | 1 month of employment-based full-time work | Rehearsal period and performances in Tampere |
If the project receives more funding, it is possible to agree on more working time.
Salary in an employment relationship is based on TEA TES collective agreement or as a grant according to the working grant determined by the respective foundation. The project also aims to tour after the premiere.
The working will mainly take place in Tampere. Please note that the project has limited possibilities to reimburse travel and accommodation costs. For the period under an employment relationship, any travel and accommodation costs will be agreed in accordance with the TEA TES collective agreement. The recruitment decision is made by the Executive Director of Pirkanmaan Tanssin Keskus based on the choreographer’s proposal.
Applying
The application period is 31.7. – 31.8.2026.
Fill out the application form to apply. The following information is required for the form:
- Contact information
- CV and a short description of previous work history
- Link to a short video of movement (e.g. showreel)
- Short description on why are you interested in the work (can be submitted in writing or as a video link)
A small number of people will be selected for the audition event based on the applications. The audition event will be held on Sat 10.10.2026 at Liikelaituri, Tampere. If after receiving an invite to audition the date does not suit you, we will try to find another solution together.
Please contact the choreographer if we can make the application process more accessible for you in any way or if you have any additional questions about the project or applying.
Choreographer Tuulia Soininen
tuulia.soininen@hotmail.com
0451125385
About the Choreographer
Tuulia Soininen is a choreographer and creative producer from Orivesi. Her work focuses on political art, queer feminism and ethical practice.
Soininen holds a BA Hons from Falmouth University in the UK and a Master of Choreography from Codarts and Fontys in the Netherlands. Tuulia Soininen is an emerging freelance artist known for her bold yet gentle artistic voice, who is not afraid to take a stand.
This work continues Tuulia’s artistic research into themes of intimacy, sexuality, nudity and violence, which she began in 2024 during her master’s studies. A large part of the research involves creating ethical and sustainable ways of working in the field. This process will be the first time that the research has opened up from working solo to working with external performers.
As a choreographer, Tuulia values the agency of the performers, open communication, healthy boundaries, clear shared guidelines and mutual care. Her view is that these things create a safe foundation, which enables diving deeper into the artistic process.
Photos of Tuulia Soininen in this article by Ville Kurki
